Texans' C.J. Stroud bounces back with stellar game against San Francisco

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HOUSTON (AP) — Houston coach DeMeco Ryans had high praise for C.J. Stroud after his performance in Sunday's win over San Francisco.

“One of his best games ever,” Ryans said.

Stroud threw for a season-high 318 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Texans to the 26-15 victory. He bounced back after struggling to move the offense in a loss to Seattle last Monday night.

“When C.J. is locked in (and) C.J. plays well and he’s upbeat and everybody can see he’s going to the right spot with the football, he’s making great decisions, stepping up, escaping the pocket, converting some runs there, converting some third downs, you just see the entire energy, the vibe of our entire sideline just changes,” Ryans said. “Everybody is looking to the quarterback for that leadership.”

Stroud’s big day came despite missing star receiver Nico Collins, who sat out after sustaining a concussion against the Seahawks. With Collins out, Stroud out completed passes to nine different players on a day the offense had 475 yards. It was the most yards the team had gained since the Texans had 544 on Nov. 12, 2023, against the Bengals.

The Texans (3-4) scored on each of their first four possessions Sunday after punting on their first four against Seattle.

As for what Stroud believes led to his strong performance, he said it comes down to staying positive despite setbacks.

“I wake up in the morning feeling like it’s going to be my day,” he said. “I don’t ever think the opposite. I think because my preparation is at a high level.”

Stroud was also effective scrambling Sunday to help keep the offense moving. He ran seven times for 30 yards with five of his runs going for first downs. He’s been using his legs more this season and has 177 yards rushing after running for just 233 all last season.

“If I can do it, cool … it’s fun to me. I like doing it," he said. "Learned how to slide this offseason. I thought I had a good slide today. I almost got my head taken off, but I got down clean. I like using my legs.”

Houston’s offensive line had its best game of the season after having perhaps its worst performance of the season against Seattle. Stroud wasn’t sacked for the first time all season on Sunday and he was hit just two times after being sacked three times and hit another seven by the Seahawks.

“I know our offensive line can do it,” Ryans said. “When we do it and we do it at a high level and we’re focused, locked in, that’s what it looks like. Hopefully they see that and it’s something that continues to give them that confidence.”

The offense was much improved on Sunday but there’s still room to grow after the Texans converted just 1 of 5 red zone opportunities. The Texans lost a yard on third-and-1 from the 14 on their first drive and settled for a field goal. They couldn’t get in the end zone on their second drive either and settled for another short field goal.

“There’s always things you can clean up,” Stroud said.

Houston’s young receivers stepped up Sunday to make up for the absence of Collins. Xavier Hutchinson, who is in his third season, and rookies Jaylin Noel and Jayden Higgins all finished with career highs in yards receiving. Hutchinson had 69 yards and a touchdown, Noel had 63 yards and Higgins added 34 yards and his second career touchdown.

TE Dalton Schultz had just two catches for 24 yards a week after he had nine receptions for 98 yards.

Collins could return Sunday after sitting out last week. … WR Braxton Berrios suffered a chest injury against the 49ers. … DE Dylan Horton injured his knee in the third quarter.

The Texans held Christian McCaffrey in check a week after he had 201 yards of offense and two scores. On Sunday he had just 25 yards rushing, which was his fewest since 2018 and his 8 yards of offense in the first half were his fewest before halftime in his career.

The Texans will look to keep improving on offense when they play the second of three consecutive home games Sunday against the Denver Broncos, who have won five in a row.

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